Fall River man charged in attempted armed robbery of cab driver

FALL RIVER — Police have arrested a suspect in an alleged planned robbery of a taxi driver last month on Harrison Street.

Detectives allege that George E. Williams, 18, of 28 Reuben St., was one of two suspects in the attempted robbery on Dec. 12, when the driver ran from his cab and was shot at several times, though he was not wounded, according to police reports.

Police say detectives identified Williams as a suspect after pulling a latent fingerprint from the cab that turned out to be a match for his prints. Questioned by police, Williams allegedly admitted to his role in the robbery, telling detectives that the planned robbery “went wrong,” according to court documents.

Williams was held on $10,000 cash bail after being arraigned Monday in Fall River District on a host of gun-related charges that include discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a building, assault to rob armed with a firearm, carrying a firearm without a license and attempted assault and battery with a firearm.

Detectives allege the Dec. 12 robbery was planned. Just before 9:30 p.m., on the 200 block of Harrison Street, Williams is said to have entered the cab and asked the driver to break a $100 bill. At the same time, another man wearing a mask approached the driver’s side window and pointed a handgun at the driver. When the suspect opened the cab’s door, the driver got out of the taxi and ran north towards Pleasant Street. The gunman fired three shots and then ran with the other suspect towards a residence on Reuben Street, according to court documents.

The investigating detectives interviewed witnesses, neighbors and studied video surveillance footage that captured the robbery. The surveillance video showed one suspect — alleged to be Williams — touching several surfaces on the cab, which prompted police to process the cab for fingerprints, according to court documents.

While questioned by police, Williams allegedly only described the shooter as a 19-year-old man, approximately 5 feet 11 inches tall, with a nickname of “D,” according to court documents.

Williams is scheduled to return to court for a probable cause hearing on Jan. 25.